Chapter 31: True Demons

- Flashback -

"Somebody just turned into a 'Node'!" Cedric exclaimed in bewilderment.

At that very instant, he heard the screams of people around him and felt the sheer panic that descended in the place. Observing through his sharpened field of senses, Cedric took all the information he could to know just what they were dealing with.

"Beast Demons!" He exclaimed.

He had seen and learned about Beast Demons before. They are incredibly tough, possessing a blessed physique and instincts, making them extremely deadly in combat. They're also highly territorial and savage.

A grim countenance appeared on his face. This was bad, Cedric could already tell that most of the people here, yes that includes the wardens, wouldn't be able to contend with the Beast Demons that appeared here.

Speaking with Human terms, Beast Demons would have a Body Rating of A at the minimum, and this is inborn. It is very rare for Beast Demons to have a physique weaker than that. And since this was an innate aptitude, this would only raise the gap between and Humans even more, especially as the Beast Demons grow up in their hostile environment.

Cedric wasn't one to underestimate his own race, but the facts couldn't be denied, especially now that he's seeing them. What's more, is that these Beast Demons aren't the ones from Purgatory, they're the real thing!

He of course wasn't privy to this information yet since he didn't possess high enough authority...

But the truth is, there is a huge difference between Purgatory Demons and actual Demons. The Purgatory was a buffer plane — a defense system that Acala created to protect herself and Humans. If all Humans were forced to participate in Hell Dives since the start of the Cataclysm, it wouldn't make sense for Demons to still exist to this day.

Additionally, for the Demons at least, the Purgatory was more like a full-dive Virtual Reality. Only their consciousness enters that plane, not their real body.

Of course, there is a price for them to pay and that's the very existence of themselves — the very thing that made up these so-called 'Demon Souls'. The more they experience death within the Purgatory, the faster their deaths would come.

It would first begin with them losing their memories, the oldest first. Once it reaches the point that they can no longer remember anything, they will turn mad and their health will start to deteriorate. Once they're sucked dry, turning into a mere husk of their former self, that's when they will die permanently.

This was the way how Humans and Demons fought since then. But of course, the Demons didn't like this arrangement, especially since they were forced to comply. As such, they devised a way to bypass Purgatory so that they could subjugate Prime Earth already.

By fighting Humans within the Purgatory, the Demons could also collect intel from them. And while some Demons are stupid, not all of them are. They could scheme just like Humans could, and they possess innate cunningness that Humans can't match.

If Acala could force Demons to comply with her terms, they too figured out a way to force Acala to their set of rules. That's how the 'Nodes' came out to be.

Cedric continued dashing here and there. He was moving faster than the naked eye could see, it's even to the point where he's leaving afterimages behind.

With the Sword Ki coating his weapon, the physical superiority of Beast Demons meant nothing to him. His sword was like a hot knife through butter as he stabbed and sliced them apart.

It's also during this that he learned that his Ki had some restraining effect on the Demons' Corruption. He had a thin film of protective Ki around his body, and whenever he passed through an area that had been corrupted, his Ki automatically got rid of it, turning the spot he passed through back to its usual appearance.

Sadly though, Cedric doesn't have know a complete method on how to get rid of all corruption at once. Passing through every single corrupted area will take too much time and he's kind of in a hurry right now.

Maybe he can try it out later, for now though, he had to focus on his task.

"If everybody hasn't turned mad from fear just yet, then it's safe to assume that they called for backup." Cedric mused to himself. "It would be dumb of them not to, especially after seeing what kind of Demons appeared here."

Cedric was confident that the Chief Warden wouldn't be a petty person, he was confident that the reinforcements were on the way, and that's somewhat comforting since he might encounter something that's beyond his paycheck here.

As he continued his killing spree, Cedric opened his field of senses to its absolute limits. His numerous thought compartments whirred into activity and digested all information he sensed. Yet despite this, Cedric still couldn't locate one person...

"Harold, where the fuck are you?" Cedric groaned softly as he continued searching the place.

A foreboding feeling swarmed to his chest because he couldn't find him. Harold was his only friend here, and also the majority of the reason why he bravely charged toward the demons. He wanted to save his friend, but he couldn't see him.

Thoughts of Harold being dead crept up to his brain but he forcefully shut it down. He steeled his resolve and was determined to find out where his friend was.

'He better not be dead or I swear, I'll kill him!' He inwardly stressed.

It was then that his field of senses detected an alarming development. He froze in his tracks and saw that the basement was about to be overrun.

He already knew that the majority of the convicts and wardens went there, occupying the bunker and defending together against the Beast Demons.

However, Cedric just saw the hulking figure of the Tiger Demon rushing towards that place. It is not there yet but he already calculated its route so he's confident about its destination.

Grunting to himself, he turned around and started dashing towards the Tiger Demon to intercept its path.